Karakol

Karakol is situated at an altitude of 1700 meters near the eastern end of Lake Issyk-Kul and near the highest mountains - Peak Pobedy (7439 m) and Khan-Tengry (7010 m). It is the principal town in the region with population of 70,000 people, and the best base from which to explore the lakeshore. It's a low-rise town, famous for its apple orchards and Sunday market (one of the best in Central Asia).

The city of Karakol (Black Lake in KyrgyzKyrgyz) was founded in 1869 as a military and trade point on the trade road from the Chu valley to Kashgar. Among the sights of the city one can see:

The Dungan's wooden Mosque, built without a single nail in the style of a Buddhist pagoda.
There is also a Russian Orthodox Church, the Museum of History and oriental bazaar. 10 kilometers southeast of Karakol there is situated the amazing and beautiful mountain gorge of Arashan. There, at the altitude of 2000 m in a broad valley with a fir-tree forest meadows and colorful flowers, is the health resort Altyn-Arashan located on hot springs with a high radiation and mineral component. In the upper regions of Arashan, Moraine Lake Kashka-Su and the Ak-Sai wall and waterfall may be visited.